Adjustable partition



Jan. 6, 1942.- Q BERNSTEW 2,268,637

ADJUSTABLE PARTITION Filed Dec. .20, 1940 INVENTOR UfL/ABER/VSTEM/ BY {M ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 6, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE 2,268,637 ADJUSTABLE PARTITION Celia Bernstein, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application December 20, 1940, Serial No. 370,942

2 Claims.

My invention relates to adjustable partitions for compartments in receptacles or containers for clothes and other articles.

An important object of my invention is to provide a device of this character with means whereby a number of compartments are formed and the sizes and shapes of which may be readily and easily. changed by movement of one or more members of the device.

Another object of my invention resides in the provision of such a device which is simple in the extreme to manufacture and use, economical, and at the same time durable, strong and rugged.

The compartments in my device may be changed from one size to another, in but an instant's time, it requiring but a simple manual operation to eiiect this change.

Other objects and features of the invention reside in the particular construction and arrangement of my novel device, and all of the above, together with other objects and features of the invention, details of construction, combination of parts, and advantages, will be hereinafter more fully pointed'out, described and claimed.

Referring to the drawing, illustrating a preferred embodiment of the present invention,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one of the crossstripe Fig. 2 is a perspective view of two, partially.

overlapping, longitudinal strips and one crossstrip.

3 shows the overlapping longitudinal strips having a number of their slits interlocked in the center slit of three cross pieces.

Fig.4 shows compartments formed by four overlapping longitudinal strips added to the arrangement shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 shows my device assembled as in Fig. 4 and placed in a container such as the'drawer of a dresser or other chest.

Referring more particularly to the drawing in Fig. 1, a cross strip, II, is shown as provided with a plurality of slits, ll, extending from one side edge substantially half way across the strip.

lengthwise or longitudinal pieces or strips 12 end I: are shown in Fig. 2. The longitudinal pieces have slits, I4, cut from their downward edges, or edges on the opposite sides from the also spaced uniformly along the sides, of the said lengthwise pieces.

Cross end pieces, l5 and I, are shownin Fig. 3.

These end pieces are like the inner cross pieca shown in Fig. 1 except their slits, II, are narrower. The reason the slits, H, in the inner or center cross piece, ID, are wider than the slits, H; in the other pieces, l5 and I6, is that they are adapted to receive two longitudinal pieces having their inner ends overlapped as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. One of the slits in the outer end of the lengthwise piece, l2, engages an inner slit in the end piece, l5, and a slit in the outer end of the longitudinal piece, l3, similarly engages an inner slit in the end cross piece, IS. The longitudinal and cross pieces or strips are therefore held together in an interlocking relation.

With the pieces arranged as shown in Fig. 3, my device, for a given numberof compartments is completed by inserting slits in, say, two additional lengthwise overlapping pieces into slits of the cross pieces as shown in Fig. 4. This arrangement comprises four inner compartments, a, b, c and d, and when the device is placed in a drawer or other suitable container as shown in Fig. 5, additional compartments, e, j, g, h, i, i, k, l, m, n, o and p, are formed by the ends of the longitudinal and cross pieces being placed against the ends and sides of the drawer.

If it is desired to change the length of the device, this may be readily accomplished by removing the center cross piece and increasing or decreasing the overlaps of each of the lengthwise pieces and interlocking the slits of the overlapped pieces and cross piece as hereinbefore slits of the cross pieces. Similarly the sizes of the compartments may be changed by moving one or both of the end cross pieces toward or away from the center cross piece.

In Fig. 15, my device is shown in a dresser drawer, 18. Such a drawer and arrangement of my device is particularly suitable for women's lingerie. Of course, my device may be used in other containers and for other articles, and

when necessary or convenient, the width, length, or depth of the compartment may be provided for without departing from the spirit of my invention. 5

This device maybe made of any suitable oi desirable material, such as Celluloid, cardboard,

wood or metal, or a suitable plastic and may be colored by lacquering in any desired finish, or mounted with any suitable or desirable material, as will be readily understood.

While I have necessarily described my inven-' tion somewhat in detail, it will be appreciated that I may vary the size, shape, and arrangement or parts within reasonably wide limits without departing from the spirit of the invention.

My invention is further described and defined in the form of claims as follows:

1. An adjustable partitioning device for dividing a receptacle into compartments, comprising a plurality of lateral partitioning strips adapted to be disposed on edge in parallel relation from front to back of said receptacle, each of said strips being provided with separated slits extending vertically from one edge of each strip part way therethrough, and a plurality of longitudinal partitioning strips, each strip having similarly spaced separated slits extending part way there-through from one edge thereof, said last-mentioned strips being disposed longitudi-.

nally in said receptacle with the slits in the longitudinal strips interlocking with the slits in the lateral strips, each of the longitudinal strips being substantially shorter than the length of the receptacle and each pair of longitudinal strips being disposed in overlapping lace-contacting relation in the slits in at least one of the lateral strips so that the longitudinal partitions may be adjusted lengthwise to iit the receptacle.

2 An adjustable partitioning device for dividing a receptacle into compartments, comprising a plurality of lateral partitioning strips disposed on edge in parallel relation from tront to back of said receptacle, each of said strips being provided with separated slits extending vertically from one edge of each strip part way therethrough and the slits in an intermediate lateral strip being wider than the slits in the remaining strips, and a plurality of longitudinal partitioning strips, each strip having similarly spaced separated slits extending part way there-through from one edge thereof, said last-mentioned strips being disposed longitudinally in said receptacle with the slits in the longitudinal strips interlocking with the slits in the lateral strips, each of the longitudinal strips being substantially shorter than the length of the receptacle and the longitudinal strips being disposed in overlapping relation in the slits in said intermediate lateral strips so that the longitudinal partitions may be adjusted lengthwise to lit the receptacle.

CELIA BBBNSTEIN. 

